Aït Benhaddou ighrem or ksar (fortified village) along the former caravan route, Morocco

Morocco’s Aït Benhaddou is held up as the perfect example of a ksar, one of many fortified Amazigh villages found across North Africa. Often built beside desert oases and featuring adobe-like earthen clay construction, these largely enclosed villages provided protection from potential foes as well as the elements. In fame and physical elevation, the millennium-old Aït Benhaddou rises above the rest of the ksars. Set upon a creek in a hilly mountain pass, its position was highly strategic in ancient times, marking a major trade route connecting Marrakesh with Saharan communities beyond the Atlas Mountains.